South America and the first stop, Peru

Finally arrived in Peru following an arduous 17 hour journey from New Zealand, feeling disorientated and tired but went immediately to join the Gap Inca Trail tour starting on the 1st October for a 6 day journey to the Sacred Valley and then on to the 4 day hike of the Inca Trail with an international group of 15. I met with , Amanda, from Eire,

and we spent the next 7 days in each others´ company, sharing rooms and tents.

The Sacred Valley tour of Pisac, the ruins of the 14th-15th century Inca city, though crowded gave us our first site of Inca ruins in sunny and warm weather conditions, given the increasingly high rainfall through October and into November at this time of the year. Staying in a hostal in Ollantaytambo we viewed this towns` Inca ruins , which again involved some steep inclines through the now familiar Inca terraces, it proved good preparation for the hikes to come! The next morning we set out for the beginning of the Inca Trail, starting at the 82km marker point at Piskacuchu. Walking for 4hrs we climbed steadily, reaching higher altitudes and our night camp of Wallabamba at 3200m, stopping at Llactapata, an Inca ruin on the way. The sub tropical fauna consisted of mainly eucalytus trees (surprised by this)and some cactus and succulent plants, often edible. First night sleeping in tents was fairly difficult, largely due to a thunderstorm and heavy rain which hit us early evening. However rising at 0500 and starting on the trail by 0700 was to become the norm! The food was good, traditional Peruvian fare, cooked on site, every meal included locally grown potatoes and always with the option of fresh onion and fresh chilli peppers. The second day was the most gruelling with a climb to Warmiwanusca (Dead Woman Pass) at an altitude of 4,215m, a climb of 1300m in four and a half hours. A further hike of 2 hours, downhill on the old Inca Trail proved very tough on the knees, but we were rewarded with truly spectacular views of the surrounding mountain ranges with sub-tropical alpine vegetation (many bamboos). Tea and Dinner at the Papymayo camp filled the hole in our bellies after the 7-8 hour hike and despite more heavy rain I think everyone slept the sleep of the dead.

Day 3 of the trail was supposedly less gruelling though involved ascending to the Runkuraqay Pass at 3,760m followed by a visit to the ruins at Phutupatamarca, through similar terrain as on previous days, and still following the Inca trail, basically a rough and uneven stone footpath.

Before reaching camp we were able to walk through the ruins at Intipata, another agricultural community consisting mainly of wide terraces. The last camp before Machu Picchu itself was blessed with hot showers so there was generally a rush to clean up after 3 days of blood, sweat and near tears! The downside of Day 4 was the need to be up (0400) and walking (fast) on the final morning to reach the Sungate Temple by sunrise, which would give our first view of the city of Macchu Picchu. I made it at considerable personal physical cost but it was worthwhile and only requiring a further half hours´ walk down to the city of Machu Picchu.

Without doubt the remains of this civilisation, destroyed by the conquering Spaniards, rightly belongs in the category of a World Heritage Sight. The extent of this city, thought to be a place of rest and relaxation for the high Inca´s (though there are differing opinions on this), is breathtaking on first sight. The day was hot, but we arrived before the heat became generally too much, shelter being sparse, in time for a tour by Marcello, our guide, and also before the city become overcrowded with visitors who had arrived by bus from Agua Caliente. Walking poles were not permitted so we negotiated the steep steps in the city without their use, tricky when I was used to their support.

Afterwards we took the bus down to Agua Calientes where after having had lunch, 6 of us rushed up to the hot springs and soaked for half an hour before catching the train to Ollantaytambo, followed by a coach to Cusco. We booked back into the Prisma Hotel and spent the next 24 hours celebrating our achievement before we dispersed to our varied next destinations. I booked the Lares Trail, but first spending two and a half days in Cusco relaxing with full massage, and haircut etc. The Lares trail was a 4 day trail starting with a day at the Lares hot springs. This gruelling trail with guide, porter/cook with horse, was an opportunity to meet the rural people of Peru, and also very much off the tourist trail.

I must apologise for any confusion caused by the lack of a chronological order in displaying the following photo´s.

Photo 1. The group at the 82km point at Piskacuchu, the start of the trail.

Photo 2. Llactapata Inca ruins, and taking a well earned rest.

Photo 3. The view from half way up to Dead Woman´Pass.

Photo 4. The happy/relieved group at the pass.

Photo 5. Macchu Picchu viewed from the Temple of the Sun (taken at about 06.30).

Photo 6. The view of the surrounding mountains from the Temple of Water, including members of my tour group.

Photo 7. The Temple of the Sun, viewed from above.

Photo 8. The Sundial (the top was partly destroyed by Budweiser when filming an advert (!!) , evidence that the Inca`s were also interested in the sciences (detailed evidence of their skills in astronomy were well documented).

Photo 9. Relaxing in the heat on the site of one of the many temples of Macchu Piccu.

Photo 10. Peruvian Rail train to Ollantaytambu. An interesting journey, highly scenic, however the ´backpacker contingent´were placed in the two more basic end carriages (!) and obliged to finish their journey at Ollantaytambo, and complete their journey by bus to Cusco....

Photo 11. A colourful religious parade in Cusco, seen on my 2 day R&R in Cusco.

Photo 12. Lunch with my fellow Inca Trail hikers in a Peruvian Bar. We were lucky enough to arrive as the band started playing. They were so good on the ear that I purchased their CD.

Photo 13. Cusco viewed from the Inca Museum (not very impressive!) looking towards the main square of San Francisco.

Photo 14. The cathedral in San Francisco Square.

Photo 15. The Andes seen on Day 3 of the trail

Photo 16. Amanda and I, with Wanda in the background taking a break - again.

Photo 17. The ruins of Sayac Marca on Day 2.

Photo 18. Intipata, the final site viewed before Machu Picchu.

Photo 19. as above (still haven´t figured out how to delete......)

Photo 20. The dawn on Day 4, before we were able to pass the final official gate to Macchu Picchu.

Photo 21. A further repeat!

The red centre of Australia, Alice Springs, and thereafter Adelaide

Alice Springs and the surrounding 'red' desert met most of my expectations of high desert temperatures, and arid landscapes. A total of 11 days in the area, with a 3 day a tour to Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta (the Olga's) which involved 7-10kms of hiking a day at each of these spectacular sites. Camping for the 2 nights in swag bags was a new experience giving me a rare opportunity to see the night sky, thankfully unimpeded by light pollution. The tour also included visiting Uluru at sunrise and sunset, equally unforgettable experiences. Before returning to Alice Springs we had the opportunity to have a camel ride, not to be missed and very entertaining in itself with much laughter and jesting from the others!
A further 3 nights in Alice at the YHA was a chance to catch up on much lost sleep, swim in the towns surprisingly good olympic size pool and visit local places of interest, including the local control centre of the Flying Doctor Service. A short bus ride out of town to the Alice Springs Desert Park was a worthwhile visit especially the nocturnal animal house which contained many rare and endangered species of desert animals.
Alice Springs had many close links with the surrounding aborigine communities and many galleries selling their artwork, however many of the community members were homeless on the streets of Alice and a good proportion of this group had drink problems. Many of the street homeless aborigines had been rejected for many and varied reasons by their own communities out in the bush and Alice was a magnet to them.
I decided to travel to Adelaide 'the Ghan' train, a journey of 25 hours, but lightened by the fact that a couple of people from the Uluru tour were also travelling, the food was OK and we wiled away the time in the buffet car, though sleep in a recliner seat was decidedly elusive.
Stayed at the YHA in Adelaide, pretty comfortable but unfortunately next door to some of the Adelaide nightlife! Able to ring the bells at 3 out of 4 of the towers, even ringing for a wedding on the Saturday at the catholic cathedral. The ringers were a welcoming group of people who were short in number that weekend and therefore pleased for me to help out, even to the extent of chauffering me around the city to the different churches. I rang a total of 5 times over the long weekend in Adelaide and finished by ringing for a concert at St Cuthberts where I met Peter, probably the oldest ringer in the world at 100. The concert by a quartet of clarinetists from the South Australian Police Band was of a high standard and entertaining and a fitting end to my stay in Adelaide. Managed to squeeze in a trip to the Adelaide Botanical Gardens in between ringing, even taking a guided tour of the gardens with their Spring blooming.
I left for Brisbane on the earlybird flight at 06 15 on the 21st September, back to Yandina for a few days relaxation including a further visit to the observatory to view the sun, this time, before taking the train to Brisbane. Again staying at the YHA for 3 nights and the opportunity to buy some last minute things for South America, followed by an overnight stay in Sydney before flying out to South America.
Photo 1. The Flying Doctor Control Centre in Alice Springs.
Photo 2. Termite nests in the Alice Springs Desert Park.
Photo 3. A brief stop before tackling the rocky climb to the rim of Kings Canyon.
Photo 4. The dome rock formations of Kata Tjuta.
Photo 5. The 'crew' of the Rock Tour
Photo 6. Campfires and swag bag.
Photo 7. Uluru at sunrise, followed by breakfast from the 'kitchen' trailer.
Photo 8. The 'Rock Tour'bus. NB swag bags on the trailer.
Photo 9. Camel ride.
Photo 10. Post tour dinner with Isabella (Peruvian) and Tim (Netherlands) alongside the rest of the crew.
Photo 11. The excellent pool at Alice Springs.
Photo 12. The desert viewed from 'the Ghan'.
Photo 13. Midday and ready to leave for Adelaide.
Photo 14. Bluebells in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens.
Photo 15. The newly restored palm house in the gardens.
Photo 16. St Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral, Adelaide. Rang the bells for a wedding here.
Photo 17. The separate bell tower at St Cuthberts church. Centenarian Fred on the left, with Graham, one of my chauffeurs.
Photo 18. St Peters Anglican Cathedral, Adelaide

Hiking in Tasmania, with a chill wind in Hobart

After the tropical temperatures of Cairns and Cape Tribulation Tasmania was a shock to the system especially as I'd become acclimatised to temperatures in the high 20's celsius and Hobart only reached 10C in the day with a chill wind from the Roaring Forties. Hobart itself reminded me of England (especially Lincolnshire) on a cold,windy and wet February day with a relentless north easterly wind blowing across the flatlands. Altogether I spent 10 days in Tasmania, 5 of those days (3 and 2 respectively) in Hobart itself, and both of these short periods were marked by successful opportunities to ring bells. I was able to join the ringers for 2 Sundays of ringing, at both churches and also attended a practice night. The ringers were very welcoming and after Sunday ringing would always move on to the local coffee shop. After ringing at Holy Trinity (now a Greek Orthodox church) we were invited to join the congregation in refreshments that included much drinking of Greek coffee and a few slices of freshly baked and delicious chocolate cake. The other noteworthy activities in Hobart was a visit to the Cascade Brewery, which after a serious sampling session with a fellow guest of YHA, decided it was a pretty good beer, even if a tad cold! The town also had a fine arts cinema, (serving great coffee and cakes) where I found time to see Pete Postlethwaite in a post apocalyptic film on climate change.
Hiking in Tasmania was hosted by Tony, a 'tramper' I met in New Zealand who had a thorough knowledge of all the accessible walks in Tasmania, though I was disappointed in being unable to meet with Jean, a GP I met in NZ as she was out of the state on 10 days of my Tasmania stay but we are maintaining contact by email and may meet in England.
Nevertheless I spent 2 separate days hiking both on the Tasman Peninsula and near the west coast of the country visiting the Gordon Dam followed by shorter walks to 2 waterfalls , the Russell and the Horseshoe Falls in National Park , stopping on the way to view Lake Pedder. The peninsula hike was a worthwhile 11km hike to Cape Raoul with its amazing red dolomite volcanic rock formations and even the weather held without the downpours that were very much a feature of Tasmania at the time of year.
The most memorable area for hiking was on the Freysinet Peninsula where we spent 3 days, with 2 nights in the YHA 'hut', very reminiscent of tramping huts in NZ, ie basic but clean and dry. The weather held being sunny and warm with little wind, so we were able to complete a 11km hike on the Hazard Bay and Wineglass Bay Circuit Track as well as an unsuccessful attempt at the Mount Amos hike (too steep with slippery rock faces). The third day was spent travelling back to Hobart and stopping off at Sleepy Bay and Cape Tourville and having one of the best fish and chip lunches in Swansea (!) since I left the UK.
I flew back to Brisbane on the 1st September and took the train up to Yandina where I was able to relax and warm up for a week by walking, playing table tennis in the garden, and helping Lesley with some gardening before setting off again to fly to Alice Springs (on the 9th September)and hopefully some guided bush walking in the desert.

Photo 1. View of Hobart from the viewpoint on Mount Nelson.
Photo 2. The Antarctic explorer ships in Hobart harbour.
Photo 3. The coastline of the Tasman Peninsula.
Photo 4. The rock formations of Cape Raoul.
Photo 5. St Davids Cathedral tower, Hobart. (12 bells)
Photo 6. Daffodils in Hobart Botanical Gardens.
Photo 7. Russell Falls in National Park.
Photo 8. Horseshoe Falls in National Park.
Photo 9. Rainbow over Lake Pedder.
Photo 10. The Gordon Dam. Apparently one of the highest dams in the world, and its waters provide a large chunk of the hydro-electric power of Tasmania.
Photo 11. Wineglass Bay
Photo 12. Mount Amos.
Photo 13. Coles Bay viewed from the Hazard Bay/Wineglass bay circuit walk.
Photo 14. The YHA hut on the Freycinet Peninsula.
Photo 15. Coles Bay viewed from the garden of the YHA.
Photo 16. The bar at the Cascade Brewery.
Photo 17. The ringing chamber at Holy Trinity Church, Hobart.
Photo 18. Holy Trinity Church (8bells)

A brief respite on Cape Tribulation

After the hectic time and steep learning curve of the dive course it was bliss to spend 4 days at Cape Tribulation. A very beautiful place of contrasts where the Great Barrier Reef meets the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest in the world. The two hour journey from Cairns to Cape Tribulation included a river cruise along the Daintree River where we were able to see crocodiles of all sizes, some of whom were up to 5 metres in length, though thankfully viewed from the safety of the boat! The stay at the cape was at a small budget resort, Ferntrees, situated in the rainforest where I met Christine and Stephanie, a mother and daughter from Vienna. We found the local water hole, a crocodile free Mason's Pool, where we were able to swing from a rope into the river and generally have a few hours of undignified behaviour and fun.

I took the opportunity to go on a three hour jungle hike, led by an extremely knowledgeable local man, who taught us about the plants, trees and local wildlife. I came away with a healthy respect for the jungle environment and how it protects itself... A further diving opportunity arose so having brought my snorkel and fins decided to make a further trip onto a different part of the Great Barrier reef. The weather was perfect and we snorkelled in the morning and scuba dived only to about 12 metres in the afternoon and again saw the rich variety of life that inhabits this unique environment. Visibility was about 15-20 metres and I saw 2 stingrays as well as "nemo" fish and more white tip sharks, as well as a vast number of different live corals (not much bleaching here) so a very worthwhile day.

The last evening was spent having dinner with Steph and Christine sitting by the poolside at the resort drinking Australian wine, a great finish to 4 days.

The final journey back to Cairns, included a stop at the Mossman Gorge (part of one of the national parks in North Queensland), and an hours stop at Port Douglas, an up-market edition of Cairns, where we had time to discover the locally made icecream (scrumptious - to die for!)before finally journeying to Cairns. A further 2 nights back at the YHA in Cairns (quieter this time....) allowed me time to prepare for the next leg, Hobart.

Photo 1. A jungle vine that has completely destroyed the prayed on gum tree, a process that can take many years.

Photo 2. A small-ish crocodile (?) sleeping on the side of the Daintree river.

Photo 3. The mangrove swamps in the Daintree Rainforest.

Photo 4. Cape Tribulation (the promontory on the left) as seen from the dive boat as we journeyed to the reef.

Photo 5. Steph, Christine and myself on the last photo opportunity before we left the cape.

Photo 6. The one that should not be there!!!!!

Photo 7. Part of Mason's Pool, it was about 8 feet at it's deepest and refreshingly cool.

Photo 8. Mossman river, apparently low at the present time as there had been so little rain this season.